Improvement in chemical fire-extinguishers for vessels



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. AM. GRANGER. CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTINGUISHER FOR VESSELS,&c. No. 185,913. Patented Jan.2,1877.

X; mvemm ATTMNEYS.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-UfNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

Z Sheets-Sheet 2. A. M. GRANGER.

CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTINGUISHER FOR VESSELS, 84C No.185,913. Patented J'an.2.1877.

WITNESSES muanm -i PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, o c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

AL MON M. GRANGER, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEM ENT IN CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS FOR VE$SELS.&c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,913, dated January2, 1877; application filed December 19, 1876.

' T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMON M. GRANGER, of New Orleans, in the parish ofOrleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and ImprovedChemical Fire- Extinguisher for Vessels, 850.; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly insection. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 isadetail, showing in vertical section the cover for the domes.

My invention relates to certain improvements in chemicalfire-extinguishers, designed more particularly for harborfire-protection boats and sea-going vessels, but applicable also, inmost of its features, to general use.

Thegeneral principle of the improvement rests in thedirect use of thedry gaseous carbonic acid in smothering volume, in contradistinction tothe common use of a limited quantity of the same dissolved in waterunder pressure.

The means for'carrying out the invention consist, generally, in thecombination ofa set of capacious generators for containingbicarbonate ofsoda, a set of superposed acid-vessels, a subjacent acid-reservoir, andan airpump, or equivalent forcing apparatus for charging theacid=vessels from the reservoir,

the whole being combined by means of communicating pipes, controlled byvalves or cocks, so that the acid may be forced from the reservoir inthe hold of the boat only when the effective power of the gas isrequired, and whereby accidental admixture of the chemicals is, from themotion of the vessel or from other causes, completely avoided.

The invention also consists in other details of construction andarrangement for the best and most convenient use of the apparatus incharging or cleaning out, as well as the most effective manipulation ofthe gas, which details will be hereinafter more fully described.

Before proceeding to a description of the accompanying drawings, I wouldstate, in relation to the merit of the dry gas, that the .great loss oflife and property at sea, extended 'throngh a period of many centuries,has;

proven the entire insufficiency of water for the purpose ofextinguishing fires of this class. This is so by reason of the fact thata quantity of water sufficient to completely extinguish the fire whenunder full headway would help to sink the vessel, while the means forthrowing a sufficient quantity of water are necessarily limited.Moreover, if water were found sufficient for the purpose its applicationwould not, beyond the saving of life, be desirable, by reason of thedamage to cargo; hence I have resorted to a use of the carbonic-acidgas, dry, and under pressure, which, although not being capable of beingprojected a sufficient height to render it particularly desirable onland, is, nevertheless, specially applicable on the sea, by reason ofthe confined character of the vessels compartments, and for the reason,also, that its own gravity effects its distribution and its consequentpassage to the parts needed, while its inert chemical character is suchas to completely smother the fire, and yet produce no deleterious efiectupon the cargo.

In the drawings is shown my apparatus applied to a vessel, of which onlythe deck F F is shown. B B B are the generators, which are in the natureof copper cylinders, tested to a pressure of about three hundred pounds,tinned upon the inside to render them less susceptible to the action ofthe acid, and arranged longitudinally in horizontal position below thedeck, being suspended either from the deck by means of straps a, asshown, or supported upon stanchions. These generators are in numberaccording to the efficiency of the apparatus required, and in dimensionpreferably about twenty-six inches diameter, by nine feet length, givingto each of them a capacity adapted to receive about four hundred andforty'eight pounds of the bicarbonate of soda, which is mixed with waterto the consistency of a paste, and from which, by the admixture ofsulphuric or other equivalent acid, the carbonic-acid gas is evolved.

With three of the generators having the capacity indicated, theapparatus is made sufficiently effective for the complete extinguishmentof ordinary ships fires, the size and number permitting the renewal ofthe charge of one while the others are operating, and

without materially impairing the effective power of the same.

These generators are each extended upward- 1y through the deck at oneend about thirtysix inches, to form the domes G O 0, through which thechemicals are admitted to the generators, and are also provided eachwith a longitudinal shaft, 0, carrying detachable spirally-arran gedagitators b, about four inches in width, and arranged at an angle ofabout forty-five degrees to each other. These agitators b correspond inform to a section of a propeller-blade, and when the shaft 0 is revolvedserve to produce a slowly-moving current of the acid throughout thelength of the generators, to secure the better mixture of the acid withthe bicarbonate of soda, which materials, it will be seen, are admittedthrough the dome at one end of the generator. This revolution of theshaft 0 and agitation of the chemicals is effected through theinstrumentality of a set of bevel-gear Wheels, P, operated by, a crank,0, upon a vertical shaft, d,

-extending above the deck. In the place of these devices, however, anendless chain with rag-wheels may be used. The domes ofthe generatorshave each a removable cover, I, of a well-known pattern, (shown in Fig.3,) through which the bicarbonate of soda is charged to the generators.These covers are hinged to the dome, and when they are to be shut downand closed .they are folded over, turned beneath lugs upon the dome,-andthe cap proper is then tightly adjusted to the orifice by the lever andscrew. The domes are connected by, and provided with, a horizontalsupply-pipe, H, above the deck, for the admission of water to thegenerators, while the generatorsthemselves are connected by and.provided with a horizontal discharge or waste pipe, H locatedimmediately beneath the same. Both these pipes H H are provided withseparate sets of valves 0 and f, respectively, for each of thegenerators, whereby the admission of avater to or the discharge from thesame may be together or separately controlled. Both these pipes H H,furthermore, communicate with a common and general inlet watersupplypipe, X, which admits the water either to the domes through pipe H, forreduction of the bicarbonate of soda 'to the proper pasty consistency incharging the generators, or which, through a valve,f', admits water tothe generators from the bottom, for the purpose of breaking up and.dissolving the caked residuum of sulphate of soda and bicarbonate ofsoda before discharging the same overboard through the pipe B A is theacid-reservoir, which is located in the hold of the vessel beneath thegenerators, upon any suitable support, and rigidly held in place bystays. This reservoir is of a capacity of about two hundred and thirteengallons, or suflicient to serve the repeated chargings of the apparatuswhich an emergency may render necessary. This reservoir is constructedin the form of a cylinder of lead, g,

about one-fourthinch 1 thickness, surround? ed by an incasing andre-enibreing shell, h, of iron, the lead being .used byreason of itsimmunity from the. action of theysulphuric acid, while the shell of.ironis to re-enforce 3 the feeble tensile strengthoffthe lead and prevent rupture to the*same," which might other wise result from the,pressure which, in the operation-ofmy apparatus, is applied tog lthis 1receptacle.

In constructingthisacidreservoir,theclosed leaden cylindricalfcase'gisfirst formed after N l i which the iron shell is constructed of alittle l greater diameter and length than saidcase,:(l. i

with open ends, and is slid longitudinallyjover the leaden ease.afterwhich flangedendeaps are fitted into the-open endsof the ironshell,in contact with the, endsofthe leaden case i and are bolted to theprojecting edges 'of the iron shell. ready removal of the 5 iron shelland the repair of the leaden case when necessary,"and.:

is of simple and easy construction.

In charging thereservoir,this is effected :1 through a pipe, Q, leadingto the deck the reservoir being preferably filled to its'utniost i lcapacity to prevent splashingfrom theme tion of the boat, in whichcondition itis per manently kept until. the apparatus is to be i Thisarrangement permits the used. By running the pipeQ to the deck'it i willbe seen that l am enabled to transfer large quantities of acid to thereservoir in an expeditious manner, and without the danger attendingthelowering of the same intjolthe hold. I

E E E are the acid vessels orchargerawhich i ii are arranged abovethedomes of the generators, and boltedtofand supported upon, an-

gle-irons t, affixed toa wall or partition of the 1 1 These acid-vesselsare. arranged above 1. their respective -generators, 'and correspond, yp in number to the same. They are construct-F y ed of copper, withaninterior lead lining, andh have at their tops removable covers to givel access to the interioryeither for inspecting the same or chargingwithacid, Manam j however, is ordinarily 'eifected in a different way, ashereinafter described These acid-i; vesselslare provided with glasslevel-gagesj, I i

to indicate the height of; the acid intheves-y I sels,andhave alsopendentpipesM,with valve- "in, connections,which pipesenter'thedomes,fand,. 2 when the valves arefturned, open a'eommuni-f g cationbetweentheacidwessels and the genboat.

erators forthe admixture of thechemi'cals.

For the tilling of thefacid vessel Ihavedey vised a special apparatus.It will be remem bered that theacid' is permanently carried in areservoir inthe hold of the shipout of the way, and where itwill fdobutlittle harm in the event of its leakage,jwhich contingency of lleakage is made remote. by the structure, of

the reservoir.

Thus locating admin: or. the acid as also 3 p for its object, inaddition to that just 'de scribed, the avoidance of thecorrosiveactionof the acid upon the aeiawesseis ana thecon-b it i and,furthermore, the prevention of the accidental or premature mixture ofthe chemicals,

which, where so large quantities are used as in my system, might resultin disastrous explosion, to say nothing of the waste of the chemicals.The said vessels E, therefore, are only used as intermediate anddistributing receptacles or charges for the acid to hold the latteruntil the right time, and apportion the acid to their respectivegenerators. To fill these charges E a pipe, L, has its lower end openand located near the bottom of the acid reservoir A. This pipe extendsupwardly, and communicates, through valves It It 70, with branch pipes LL L, which open at their tops into their respective acid-vessels. Anairpump, G, is located in convenient position upon deck, and is made tocommunicate, through a pipe, l, with the acid-reservoir A,

which arrangement, it will be seen, permits me to apply a sufficientpressure upon the surface of the acid to force the same up the pipes LL, to fill the vessels E, the valves 70 permitting the latter to beseparately or collectively filled, as may be desired. Thus it will beseen that 1 am enabled to manipulate a large body of acid withoutexposure to the air, and without the awkward and dangerous handling ofthe same.

As a.-modification of this feature of filling the acid-vessels I mayemploy, when using the apparatus, the effective power of thecarbonicacid gas for the purpose of forcing up the acid; and to do thisI disconnect as many of the members B O E of the apparatus as are to befilled from the rest, and all the valves is being closed I then open thevalve is of the disconnected member or members, and open a valve, n, ina pipe, N when the gas-pressure in the other operating members willoperate, through pipes N, N, and Z, to force the acid in the reservoirup to the acid-vessel of the disconnected member or members of theapparatus to be filled. After the vessel is thus filled with acid thevalve n is closed and a opened, which latter allows the pressure uponthe reservoir to be relieved, and permits the column of acid in pipe Lto pass down into the reservoir and regain its equilibrium.

As a further modification of the mode of filling. the acid chargers fromthe reservoir, I may, in the place of the pump or carbonicacid, employsteam. I

In the communication lbetween the pump G and the acid-vessel A I arrangea water trap or seal, m, which prevents the fumes from the erator whenthe chemicals are to be mixed by preventing a vacuum above the acid.

N is a horizontal distributing-pipe, with which each one of the domescommunicates through a separate valve, 0. This pipe is provided withvertical branches N which conduct the generated carbonic-acid gas to agas .holder or purifier, D. This purifier or holder is a horizontalcontinuous cylindrical vessel, provided with a partition or diaphragm,p, which is imperforate at the points where the entering gas strikes itin issuing from the pipes N and between these points is perforated topermit the gas to pass through. The object of this partition is toeliminate the solid and liquid particles, which are mechanically carriedup by the gas in the form of spray, by causing them to impinge againstthe im perforate portion of the diaphragms. As the gas passes throughthe diaphragm it passes into the pipes K, which open at the top, andform connections for the various flexible servicepipes which may beemployed in the utilization of the gas.

As the gas holder or purifier D, in the course of time, accumulates aquantity of the collected impurities, it will be necessary, at times, toclean the same out; and for this purpose a pipe, T, provided with valve2?, leads from the bottom of the same. to the discharge-pipe H,

which permits the introduction of water to the holder D from the mainwater-supply X, and also permits the water and impurities to bedischarged, through the same pipe, down to H and from thence to Hoverboard. This pipe T also serves as a drain-pipe for any portion ofthe liquid contents of the genera tor which might surge up into theholder D from the evolution of gas, and thus operates as anequalizing-pipe to restore the said liquid to the generators.

In introducing the gas into the burning vessel I have provided a specialmeans for doing the same without carrying a body of air therewith. Itconsists in constructing the nozzle Y with a tapered externallyscrew-threaded swiveling sleeve, Z, provided with handles, which isadapted to be screwed directly into a hole of any size bored in the deckof the vessel. thus not only preventing an ingress of air with the gas,and a consequent feeding of the flames, but dispensing, also, with theservice of a constant attendant for the nozzle.

To provide for the escape of superfluous gas an extra pipe, S, withvalve, is connected with pipe N, and is carried out to the air, toprevent the escape of the gas into the room through the safety-valves. I

The apparatus, as thus described, is provided with a separatesafety-valve, q, upon the domes of each one of the generators, and alsoa safety-valve, 7', upon the purifying gasholder D, which is arranged toblow off into the atmosphere at a lower pressure than those on thedomes, in order to prevent the escape of gas into the room, separatesafety-valves being located upon each generator, in order to provide aseparate and individual protection for each generator, for its separateand individual use.

Pressure-gages s are also arranged upon each of the generators, toindicate the pounds pressure per square inch; and a pressuregage, s, isalso connected with pipe N in order to indicate the pressure appliedupon the acid in the reservoir.

The apparatus, as thus described, it will be seen from the abovedescription, is, with the greatest economy of structure, made capableofa varied and extensive method of manipulation, which renders it aperfect and effective apparatus in function, with such attention to itsdetails of construction as to render it a permanent and durableapparatus, fully capable of fulfilling the purpose for which it isintended. The efficiency of the apparatus, moreover, has beenpractically tested, upon a large scale, upon the harbor-protection boatat New Orleans, and the practical value of the same attested in theclear saving of no less than three hundred and seventy-five thousanddollars Worth of cotton and other insured cargo on shipboard within aperiod of about two months.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Anapparatus for generatingdry carbonicacid gas for the extinguishment offires on shipboard, consisting of a set of generators and acid-chargershaving intermediate communication, controlled by cocks or valves, andcombined with an acid-reservoir having com munication with both thechargers and the generators, whereby a part of the series may beemployed to charge the rest, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for generating and utilizing dry carbonic-acid gas forthe extinguishment of fire, consisting of the combination of a series ofgenerators for containing the bicarbonate of soda, a set of superposedacidchargers connected with the generators by pipes and valves, and-asubjacent acid-reservoir connected with the acid-chargers by 1 means ofa pipe opening in the bottom of the reservoir, and having an independentpipe for the application of pressure, either through a pump or itsequivalent, substantially as described.

3. The horizontal generator B, having at one end an upright dome,through which the chemicals are delivered to the said generator, incombination with a revolving shaft in the genera-tor, carryingspirally-arranged agitators, substantially as and for the purpose dethebicarbonate of sodayorfor the admission of water to thebottomofthejsame, to cleanse f the generators and wash out theircontents,

substantially as described. J1

6. The combination; withkthe' generators and their conducting-pipesflforthe gas, of a purifying gas-holder,l) havinga perforated partition, J,with a plain:rorgiimperforate surface at the points upon which the gasirnpinges in issuing from thefpipes, substantially as and for thepurposewdescribed.

7. The acid-reservoirmadeof a closed case of lead, and combinedkwithanouter re-enforcing shell of: iron, madeyin the form of: a

cylinder open at th'e'ends, to adapt it to be slid longitudinally overthe lead case, and.

fastened with flanged endcap, as described.

8. The acid-chargers E, provided each. with a glass level-gage, andcombined, through branch pipes L, with thefsingle pipe Landacid-reservoir, for thepurpose ofindicating the quantity of acid for.eaclr; generator. 1 y

9. The pipe T,'having .valve t,'incombination with thepurifying-holderDanddischargepipe EU, for thepnrposedescribed.

10. The combination, iwiththe pipel, communicatiug with the acidreservoir, and the pipe N, communicating iwith the generators, andhaving separatevalves for each, of the pipe N having valven,substantially as described, and for the application of the gaspressurefor fillingthe acidchargers.

11. The combination, with the pipe L and acid-reservoir A, of the pipejN communicating with the acid-reservoir, and provided with l I 1 valve nand escape-valveaflfor the restoration of the acid-level in pipe L,substantially as described.

12. The combinationyof the generatorsB, having domes G, the superposedacid chargers E, the subjacent acid-reservoir A, and

the purifying gas-holder D, substantially as and for the purpose setforth. 1U

13. The pnriiying-holderD,havingasafetyvalve, 7', arranged to blowiofl"at alower pressi j ure than the safety-valves of the generators,

and discharge its =gas intofwthe atmosphere through a pipe',substantially as described.

14. A pipe-nozzleforfthefdischargeof car bonic-acid gas into aconfinedcompartment, 1 having a taperingexternal -screw-thread, for 1 thepurpose describedLfJ 15. A pipe-nozzle foritlie ifdischargeof carbonic-acid gas into a confined compartment, having a taperingexternally-threaded sleeve i provided with handles;substantially as andfor the purposedescribedyf v A Witnesses! 3 A, SOLONG. KEMON,

EDWD. W. 1 g l acumen; 1

